New London, NH to Chester, VT

June 30, 2015

It was bright and sunny and in the low 70s when I headed out for breakfast at 9:00 AM. Another sleep-in, but I was only doing 50 miles today, so no rush. Breakfast was at MacKenna's Restaurant, only 1/2 mile down the road in the direction I was headed. So all was good.

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Most of today would be on NH-11 and VT-11. But there would be a few diversions. Traffic was OK and got better once I passed the I-89 interchange. I was also in the Lake District, so there was lots of nice lake scenery.

One of the many lakes I passed by today.

Shortly, after about 13 miles, I arrived in Newport, NH, a quaint little village with a nice town center.

The main drag in Newport. It had nice churches and houses as well.

I then made my way to the Sugar Rail Recreational Trail that would take me all the way to Claremont, a ten-mile distance. I could have continued on NH-11 but, so far, had good experience on the rail trails in New England (northern Maine being a major exception) and wanted to give this one a try. Unfortunately, it was not to be. I should have known that when I reached the trailhead.

The trail literally started in this construction storage yard.

But I was pleased after pushing through the construction zone to arrive here.

The trail looked a little rough but manageable. And it had just rained a bit, so I continued. I had ridden rough trails before, and the day was turning out beautiful, and this trail followed a river. But I didn't go too far before I hit my number one problem. Sand.

Sand. More sand than I could imagine. In long stretches that needed to be walked through. Probably fun for kids on a mountain bike, but I would not call this trail suitable for general biking purposes.

I don't understand the thinking here. There were places where the sand was so deep it was impossible to ride a bike. There was serious risk of slipping, sliding, and falling. So I kept my left foot unclipped. But the riding was painfully slow, and even when I was able to pick up speed on the good sections (usually on the outside edge of the trail), I had to keep my attention focused on the trail, looking for sand patches, ruts, and gravel. Why? Observe this sign for permitted uses:

Given the demands on this trail to satisfy all the users, biking is probably at the bottom of the list.

Mixing mechanized vehicles with hikers and bikers is never a good idea (IMHO). Mechanized vehicles tear up the trail. And some, I suspect, enjoy a torn-up trail since it is more challenging and fun. So constant maintenance is required. And with limited funds, good maintenance seems to be lacking. While this is advertised as a trail for bikes, they should be more upfront about trail conditions. That said, there are great views along the way.

The Sugar River as seen from an old railroad truss crossing.

But be cognizant of the decking. This is a strange approach and not bike-friendly.

The trail also crosses two covered bridges . . . something I have never seen on a rail trail before.

And in some parts, closely follows the river. And if you slide on sand, you may end up down a slope!

Eventually, the trail put me in Claremont, NH. From there, I returned to NH-11 and followed it mostly downhill to the Connecticut River and the border with Vermont!

The crossing of the Connecticut River was over this very narrow (and very old) truss bridge, which used to be tolled (according to my friend who grew up in Springfield, Vermont). I wanted to take some pictures of the river, but there was no safe place to stop!

And finally, entry into Vermont, with a proper welcome sign!

From there, it was an easy ride to Springfield, only four miles down the road. And most of that was on a bike trail . . . a PAVED bike trail. And from Springfield, only eight miles to Chester. But I was also hungry, so I stopped at a Subway (all I could find) and chowed down. Just long enough for it to start raining! But that was OK. I had a paved path to Springfield!

Finally on to Chester, which was all uphill. But mostly gentle climbing. Except in Springfield, where I had routed myself over the inside bend in the river, and the climbs there were very steep. But back on what was now VT-11, it was pleasant riding, and I covered the last seven miles pretty quickly and effortlessly.

Chester is a cute town, and the Fullerton Inn was a good choice and well located.

So after getting settled in, I wandered down the street to the local pub to relax and enjoy the evening. Getting to Chester had taken a bite out of the climb over the Green Mountains, and tomorrow would be a relatively short day, 30 or 35 miles, and then I was done! Time to relax over the July 4th weekend and enjoy my visit with John and Randy.

Today's ride: 47 miles (76 km)
Total: 3,434 miles (5,526 km)

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